What We Learnt at Stylist Live 2016

This week, a handful of the Forward3D SEO team made their way to the Stylist Live event, held in The Business Design Centre in Angel, North London. Stylist Live is a 4 day festival, consisting of over 150 talks and workshops covering anything from learning to code to dressing like a fashion director.

With social influencers playing such an integral role in the amplification of the content that we create for our clients, we made sure that we had the front seat at (almost) all of the social talks. We heard from YouTube superstar Tanya Burr and lifestyle blogger Estee Lalonde among others. Throughout the talks and workshops that were attended by the team, there was a clear trend in terms of the hot topics that everyone wanted to talk about.

Finding Your Voice

It could be argued that blogging today has become somewhat of a saturated market, and standing out is far more challenging than it may have been 5 years ago. However, Estee Lalonde shared her advice in making sure that you are always authentic. She stated that ‘trying to follow what the big influencers are doing will only make you blend into the background. If you show your true personality throughout your work, your content will always be unique.’

Working With Brands

The relationship between brands and influencers is an ever growing point of interest, particularly since the rise of ‘Team Internet’ generation. Brands and agencies are collaborating with social stars more than ever, due to the sheer impact they have over their wide audiences. Tanya Burr made it clear that when a brand is reaching out to her, it is vital to ensure that they are the right fit. Asking someone to promote a brand or product that doesn't fit the tone of their content could make both parties lack credibility. She also highlighted the importance of stating that content is sponsored, to not only be completely honest with her audience, but also to avoid going opposing Google’s guidelines.

The Social Media Mix

Many of the talks the team attended touched on how to find the perfect balance within your social media strategy, particularly when selecting the ideal channels to promote content. Although there is no right answer to this, it is clear that being strategic when planning social posts is the most important element to maximise your reach. For example, polished imagery that has been highly edited and fits your theme works well on platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest, while you can save the more raw or humorous images for Twitter and Snapchat. Tanya Burr also pointed out that she has varying audiences who may follow her on one channel such as Instagram, however may not be familiar with her YouTube channel, so it is important to tailor your content to the specific platform.

The Next Big Thing?

Many of the speakers were asked by audiences whether they have any indication of what will be the next big platform that will have us all hooked for years to come. Whilst none of them had the answer (or perhaps unwilling to share it) it was clear that whatever it is, when it reaches our screens it will be critical to be quick to react in an ever agile industry.

The talks and workshops were aimed at inspiring attendees, and they certainly did just that. The team came away really inspired and the insights gathered will contribute in helping to shape the way we work with influencers.